How

Creating Sustainable Fisheries in Brazil’s Abrolhos Region

By recognizing the deep connection between the ocean’s bounty and the prosperity of local communities, CI made waves with an innovative approach to ocean protection and management — one that helped to transform lives and livelihoods in an entire region dependent upon the riches of the sea.

The old parable says that if you teach a man to fish, you will feed him for a lifetime. But what if there were no fish to be caught?

In the Abrolhos region of Brazil’s Bahia state, CI and its network of partners are working to make sure that never happens.

The coastal waters there contain the most diverse concentration of marine life in the south Atlantic. The vibrant corals and extensive mangroves shelter hundreds of species, many of which live their entire lives within a few kilometers of the shore, providing residents of the region with their primary source of protein. But in recent decades, illegal fishing and destructive industrial and aquaculture practices increasingly threatened that abundance — and the livelihoods of the local communities who suffered the consequences.

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EditCaption Description:A green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) feeding on seagrasses (genus Halodule) off Santa Barbara Island. Both species are increasingly threatened by coastal development and other human activities.

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EditCaption Description:Although rhodoliths closely resemble coral, they are actually calcium-rich algae formations that absorb carbon and are resistant to many environmental disturbances. This specimen was photographed in front of Isla Santa Barbara in Abrolhos Marine National Park.

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EditCaption Description:A crab fisherman in Bahia state. Since the 1970s, unsustainable fishing practices have caused sharp declines in crab, shrimp and other fish stocks; CI's efforts to enhance protection of the Abrolhos region will help to secure these vitally important food sources.

Now, the tide is turning. By supporting the creation of the Corumbau Marine Extractive Reserve, CI helped to demonstrate how truly understanding and valuing the natural capital that sustains communities can pay far-reaching dividends. Through the establishment of both protected no-take zones and areas that allow fishing, the fish populations not only recovered — they thrived. And, as the fish from the no-take zones spilled over into the fishable waters, local fishermen saw an increase in their catch — nearly tripling their take of some commercially-important species alone.

This bounty not only directly improved the livelihoods of local communities, it revitalized the regional economy as well, bringing with it the expansion of services like electricity and secondary education — services to which many in the region had never before had access. These positive changes also led to new, more sustainable opportunities in tourism, now the primary source of income in the region.

When CI began its program in Brazil, Abrolhos Marine National Park was the only marine protected area in the region. Since then, CI has helped to nearly quadruple the area protected and co-managed with local communities. And through ongoing scientific research into the connections between ecosystems, CI continues to inform marine protection practices that safeguard both biodiversity and human well-being.

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EditSection Description:CI works with many partners – from the heads of families to heads of state – to restore our planet's balance so that people everywhere can thrive. It's a serious mission but, as these stories highlight, it's a personal one as well.